tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:27:35 +0000raleighcross continent bike tour 2011bike campingretro-grouchbicycle ridesPortland weatherbicycle touringcomicscycle wildthree speed ride3-speedbike touringthree speedSurly Long Haul Truckerbike funbike overnightcrested buttes24otouring travelougesother people's bikesrudgeColumbia Gorgebicycle workshopsmy sweetiepedalpaloozaworksman cycletruckpalm tree ridelong-distance ridingpedal potluck picnicsnow bikingcomplaining about my lameness regarding this blogpdxolyastoriatour2012helens-rainier-seattle-vashon tour 2012portland-gorge-spokane tour 2013bike geekride reportsBrooksPortland-Gorge-Spokane tourbike ridescoffeemy bikesMt. TaborStub StewartdynolightingrandonneruringFall Tour 2007bicycle artcivilised cyclistsociety of three speedsspringwater cooridorCarradiceart for saledead freewaysfancy bicyclistgrant petersennew old stockraving bike fiendrough stufftwenty-six by one and three-eightswalksMt. HoodMt. St. HelensTom Bakerbike craft fairecoffeeneuringcountry bike ramblemountain tourrivendellzines650aOregon CoastTrans-Oregon Tourainsworth state parkbike crazybikes for salehood-adams-helens tour 2012hosteloregon randonneursother people's blogspacific coast tour 2006tweed ridewayfarerFourth DoctorPortland historyartcustom bagseating itm40other people's bike tourspizza ridepowell butteretro-grouch mountain bikingrocky buttesnowMt. RainierUnivega basket bikebattle ground lakecabinsed grothesbitgifford pinchot national forestjournal comix october 2013mountain bikenorth st bagspath less pedaledpedalspostcards from the roadschwinntrain day ridevancouverwoolxo-3Centurionbridgestonecamping setupforest parkgreshamhistoric columbia river highwaymomentum magazinemt hood national forestsan juan islandssan juan skagit tour 2013seattleshellacstoresunset falls campgroundtheater tour rideurban ramblesvelopaloozaverboort sausageGresham-Fairview TrailHood RiverLewis RiverOlympic PeninsulaPDX-Vanc tourUAL philosophyWalktoberWillamette Pedestrian Coalitiona better cyclebanks-vernoniabike shopsblasts from the pastbromptonclark countycontestdodge parkfendersflickrgrand lodgeheadlampherculesindiegogointeresting bikes spottedklean kanteenknickersletter writing monthmailmilo mcivermt hoodmultnomah county librarynew yearsolympiaoxbow parkpedalpalooza 2012philipspotato shaped peoplequebecrail transitreiroadsterrod brakeschwinn collegiateshinglessilver fallssolstice ridestovesturmey-archertacomatour reflectionstrangiauspsvelo orangewillamette mission state parkwordpressBud ClarkCygolite Metro 300Dr. WhoI-205 bike pathLolo PassMount Tabor Sunset MeanderPortlandadventure cycling associationahearneart showastoriaatomic war preparedness rideb+mbarterbasket bikebike crashesbike theivesbike touristsbike-in moviebivyblog designbmxboringbreaking bikesbroken crankarmbroken framecanby ferrycape disappointmentcarbon rivercascadescentral oregon cascades tour 2013cheeky transportclackamas riverclatsop butteclever cyclescolumbia sloughcookingcorkcouncil crestcouncil crest climbcranksetcrystal springs creekcycle touring primercyclepaloozacyclometerdan haneckowduneltdynamoearl blumenauerfestive lightsgateway greengear-inchesgirls with aviator helmetsgoatsgripsgypsy by tradehackhalf-hour retro-grouch comedy hourhandlebar baghuffyhusker dujohnson creeklabradorleather saddlemecmetzler parkmidweek campingminimalismmixtemystery bikesoregon history comicsout there tourspanniersparrotspashleypdwpeacockspedal overhaulplanet bikeportlandia obscurarain caperandonneur bagreed canyonreed collegerubenarushsaddlebagschwalbe delta cruiserssearssheldon brownshiftsicksotssouthern pacific daylight 4449sprocket podcaststeve albinisunday parkwayssunrise coffee clubsurlysydneythe 411three speed touringtodd btrainstrip preparationsunmechanicurban nature hikevashon islandvelo cultwasco county bike ramblezinester's guide to portland(the) evergreen state college1992200k20132013 plans24 inch26 inch27 inch28 inch650650b650cCaliforniaFrank IvancieJapanese three speedLeelaMKSMarine DriveMiyataMount Tabor MeanderMt. AdamsNittoOldman PassPanasonicPortland mayorsRecyclistaRichie BlackmoreSauvie IslandSuper GorgeTom PotterWillamette Valley Touraffordable luxuryalialuminumamerican bicycleamf-roadmasteramshackamsterdamamtrakamy walkerancient bikesanniversaryanomalilyansoniaantapeapolloaprilapril's linus mixteapril's raleigh sportsarchitecture ridearound portlandaudubon societyaustraliab:c:clettesbad spelling leaguebadcobalch creekbald eaglebanks-elsiebantambear encounterbeavertonbellbestial disc brakesbicycle augmented campingbicycle touring in the 1970sbike boombike corralbike obsessivebike scorebike walk votebike woesbikeasaurusbikecraftbikeforumsbikepackingbikesbikesnobnycbipartisanbirfdaybirtdaybirthdayblack arrow bicycleblasphemersbloggerbonbboring lava fieldbreak stuffbreakfast on the bridgesbreaking upbritish bikebrooklyn neighborhoodbusch und muellerbutler creek greenwaybuttonscamelbakcameracamping gearcanadacanadian bicycle touristscandidate 2012cape lookoutcascade lockscenturychampoegcharlie haleschehalem ridgechunk 666cinderellaciviaclothingcockpitcoconut billcoldcolumbia bicyclescountry-urban-bombercrabon fibre wunderbikecraigslistcranecranksgivingcrash test dummiescruisercubcyce widcyclepediacycletruckcycling sojournerdalles mountain 60dapper dandarcelledeathdecadedevinedill pickle clubdirtdisaster relief trialsdiscoverydishwasherdishwasher petediydoc martensdomexdonatedouchebag driversdraweringsdrivetraineclipseeddyelk rock islandempty lotetoneventsexplorationfat tirefeverforest groveframe bagframebuildersfraternal twinsfree beerfront rackfundraising meeting at the Foundryfunkygary fishergeoff appsgiant rinconglassglenn jackson bridgeglobal capitalismgolden pheasantgrand mesagravelgreg nortongrunge era Portlandguy smileyhailhaircuthandlebarshandmade bicycleheadsethelmentshigh sierrahiker/bikerhippiesholidayholiday expresshousinghtfuhuckleberryhydro-flaskiceidealeinstantinstant coffeeintroductionsiprcira glassjanddjc penneyjorgandolifjunk in the frontkarrimoorkenilworth parkkent petersonkgwking of some mediakitlabor dayleach botanical gardenleatherlebanese foodlet's go ride a bikelgrablinuslone wolfmacleay parkmadronemagazinesman pursemap my ridemapsmaritimesmascotmaximalismmcmenaminsmidnight mystery ridemidnite bicycle leaguemilestonesmilk and cheeseminneapolismmm mmm mmm mmmmmrmoderatismmodern manmodernized vintage bikesmontavillamontrealmoosemoosemotivistmount scottmovingmurraymustachen revere stnalgenenational park systemnauseanicheno cyclist turned awaynorconorth portlandnot about bicycles at allnu shoozogreolympia comics festoregon bike shoporegon handmade bicycle showoregon rail heritage centerpaloozaparadise point state parkparis sportpaul and carolinepedalpalooza ukpedestrian advocacy/activismpeninsulapeter jordanpetitionpicking up people from the airportpittock mansionpodcastportland art museumportland bike showportland clicheportland red guideportland streetcarpostmodern parkpowellsprinceproduct reviewspugsleyquarterflashr u couv curiousrackradiorain caerainbowraleigh sportsrandom weird guys giving unsolicited advice about bikesrandopaloozarantraving bike fiend scoring free bike stuff awardray inkleyreplacementsreview revisitedrickey's populaireride leader comicrip taylorroccosrough tuffroute vertesachssafety shoessandy riversans-derailleursarah mirkscorpionsekineselle an-atomicasellwoodsemaphore wednesdaysenecashavingshoeshineshortwaveshowers passsicknesssiggsir andrewskasleeping bagsmartphonesmith and bybee lakessnoqualmie fallssnow action plansolicitorssoul asylumsouth taborspammersspinal tapspringst johnsstainless steelstealth campingsteph routh fanclubstevensonstop hammertimestreet signsstreetcarstressing outstuff that creeps steev outstupid bicyclist trickssuginosw terwilligerswap meettallbiketandemtanner creektarik saleh bike clubteatechnologytelegraph tuesdaythe all consuming raleigh beastthe frenchthe old apartmentthe so-called professional artistthe timethe white tire fool's errandthe wiperstideman johnson parktim browntirestoe straptofurkytoo much to dotornadototally generic centurytour stressestrackstrip itinerarytriumphtriviatrolltumblrtweakerstwelve years gonetwin citiestwofer tuesdayunimproved roadsunion stationunique bikevaux swiftsvegan blockvintage bikesvo hatewaldwashington coastwashington countywatchwatter bottleweather bandweird fake meatswest hillswet leaveswheatland ferrywheel eating bicycle rackwheel lockwheely fun bike tourwhile out ridingwildcat rock machinewillamette weekwind river roadwonkerywoodlawnwoods valvewoodstockworld naked bike ridewpcxo-1yarn bombyear in reviewzine-o-ramazoobombUrban Adventure LeagueExploring the urban environment through fun human-powered adventures, riding bicycles, and gawking at bicycles in and around Portland, Oregon, Cascadiahttp://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (adventure!)Blogger775125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-714545930458491600Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:00:00 +00002014-01-23T20:00:02.880-08:00bloggerwordpressGoodbye, Blogger. Hello, Wordpress!<div style="text-align: justify;">Yes, this is the long overdue post, the final kiss-off to my Blogger blog. Yes, I wanted to/should have done this by the end of 2013, but you know how things go.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's still hard to think that I started the Urban Adventure League blog-type thing almost nine years ago, and a full year after I "founded" the league in 2004. At the time, I was just looking for a quick and easy (and cheap) way to have a web presence, and a blog seemed to be it. I was no blog expert, and didn't really follow any back then, but I chose blogger since it was quick, easy, and free.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I started blogging in earnest. Back then I was still a staunch zinester and felt like printed media was still going to be the primary way I communicated. Over the years my opposition to the blogging medium waned, but I still didn't do it that much. It wasn't until the end of 2010 that I really started getting into blogs and blogging. (And for the life of me, I don't really remember what inspired this "spark".)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the past three years, I've blogged a lot more, discovered some great blogs, and made some good friends. My miniscule readership became larger. Of course, over the same three years I've seen some good (and not so good) blogs go away, sometimes with a "goodbye" post, some just simply faded away. A few did what I would term a "flounce" and got all hot and bothered that people were following their blogs and were interested in them as people. (Of course, if they wanted to remain obscure and not receive attention, all they had to do was make a zine instead. The only person who would read it would find it in a zine library in Olympia, three years after it was published, and if they tried to write the address listed, the address would be bad by then.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, since I've used the blogger platform since 2005, why change? Changing web addresses always run the risk of losing people in the transition, no matter how well you publicize said transition. Yes, it would be easier to just stay on blogger than wordpress. But to be frank, I just don't like blogger anymore. And I've had some issues with blogger, too. &nbsp;Here's a few examples:</div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Because I started my blogger blog before I had gmail, it's listed under my ancient email address. No matter how much I tried to integrate the blog into my current gmail/Google account, it never happened. This is annoying because I'd always have to log out of gmail to get into my blogger account. With Wordrpess, there is no such issue.</li><li>I don't feel like Google really "cares" about blogger anymore. For instance if you go to blogger via Gmail, you'll find blogger down there with such "popular" Google products like Orkut. I don't know if it's because of the lack of care, but I've found that certain features on my blog don't work as well as they used to, or don't work at all. (Specifically, my link page to other blogs, which died a year or so ago, despite my best attempts to fix it.)</li><li>And because Google is Google, they want everything to go through Google+, including things that just simply required a blogger profile in the past. I don't like that. We give Google enough control over things.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Not that Wordpress is perfect, but there's a lot more things I like about it than Blogger. Like:</div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Wordpress is its own thing, and it's in their interest to make sure things still work.</li><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The Wordpress mobile app is heaps better than the Blogger app. While it's not perfect, it does allow for comment moderation, which as someone who travels, is a big deal for me. Also, I can use my Wordpress blog reader via the mobile app.</span></li><li>I've got my flickr account connected to Wordpress, so I can easily reblog photos from there onto this blog (and also onto the Society of Three Speeds blog.)</li><li>And I can "reblog" other posts from Wordpress blogs.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">The bottom two from the previous list will make it a lot easier for me to provide content on this blog, which means more content in general. Now longer posts will still be the "meat-and-potatoes" of this blog, and I don't want this blog to be just a bunch of things reblogged from other places. (That's why tumblr was created.) But it will add more variety to the narrative and help me share interesting things.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, if you are still reading this on the blogger blog, this will be the last new entry here. Really, it's time to come on over to the wordpress blog. Don't be scared! <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now here's to more years of blogging!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2014/01/goodbye-blogger-hello-wordpress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-6595161807705224473Sun, 29 Dec 2013 18:00:00 +00002013-12-29T10:00:01.757-08:00bike campingoxbow parks24oXmas Camping at Oxbow, 24-25 December 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/11576872143_ab9db666e0_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/11576872143_ab9db666e0_c.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you asked me a week before the holiday, "What would you be doing on Christmas?" I would have probably not answered camping. But camping is what I did. And that was thanks to one man, Chris Chen. Chris is a thinker of the unconventional. Besides being the founder of the Sunrise Coffee Club, he has a jonesing for bike camping and tries to do it as much as possible. So the idea of camping on Christmas Eve wasn't such a big deal to him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Or as I soon realized, to me. What obligations did I have for the holiday? I actually had it off from work. I wasn't going out with anyone. My (estranged) family lives on the opposite coast.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I wanted to try out winter camping. Now I realize that winter camping here isn't true winter camping, as there isn't usually snow in the lowlands. But up until now I had never camped later than October (which incidentally happened this year) and earlier than March. I had cabin camped in winter, but that doesn't really count. I'm talking about tent and sleeping bag/mat on cold ground camping.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So Tuesday December 24th I took off from work at 3-ish, hopped a MAX light rail train eastbound to Gresham, and started pedalling to Oxbow. At this point dark had descended and traffic was a bit heavy. Not exactly fun. But soon I got passed the suburban crap and into the true rural landscape, my LED headlamp illuminating the unlit road. Some may find this a bit spooky (and the heavy fog didn't help), but there wasn't much traffic out here, and I could "see" it from a ways away due to the headlights. It reminded me of riding on dark rural roads in Connecticut when I was in my early teens: I would watch out for headlights and get off the road when I saw some. The only truly sketchy part was the mile-plus descent into the Sandy River valley. The fog was really bad then, so I only had the yellow dashed line in the middle of the road to guide me down.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Soon I reached the campsite at Oxbow. Chris and Kelley were already there, and true to their word, had a good fire already going. We hung out, talking until it was time to go to bed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And this would be the test: How would I fare sleeping? The temperature hovered just above freezing overnight. I remember the solo trip I did in March 2010 and being very cold. But I have different equipment now, namely a North Face Cat's Meow bag rated to 20F/-7C. And I had an extra liner, too. And wool thermal layers and thick socks. I decided to forego the liner for now, as the Cat's Meow has been toasty without. And it worked, mostly. There were moments I was on the cold side (esp. in the feet) but no "I'm freezing!" moments, nothing that compelled me to get out the liner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Soon it was morning. The fog had lifted, and we were greeted to a sunny Christmas Day. We hung around camp, making food, talking. Mid-day had come and I had run out of food, so I took off about 1 pm, leaving Chris and Kelley to hang out for a bit more. The climb out of the valley was brutal (10% grade on average) but much better than bombing down it in foggy dark. I rode westward through Gresham to Portland, where I spent the rest of the holiday at Brad and Kim's house.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So now I am no longer a winter camping version. Will I try it again soon? I hope. I will admit that camping with people during the long dark winter is a better proposition than doing it solo. There's only so much time I want to spend in a tent by myself.</div><br />More photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/sets/72157639061487056/" target="_blank">here.</a><br /><br />http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/xmas-camping-at-oxbow-24-25-december.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0Oxbow Regional Park, 3010, Gresham, OR 97080, USA45.5005542 -122.306408145.4782932 -122.3467486 45.522815200000004 -122.2660676tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-7443646509201619702Fri, 27 Dec 2013 16:00:00 +00002013-12-27T08:00:04.274-08:002013year in reviewAn open letter: My 2013 in review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9356900716_4c1a320d2e_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9356900716_4c1a320d2e_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's customary for most people to reflect on the year that has just passed, and I am no different. Through this blog and other online channels like my flickr account, you, the reader, probably got a flavor of what my year was like. There were definitely some high points, like:</div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">My two big bike tours, one from Portland to Spokane via the Columbia River and Walla Walla, and my Central Oregon Cascades tour that marked my first visit to Crater Lake.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">My small tours and bike overnights, like my journey around the San Juan Islands.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">My completion of my first 200 km randonneuring "brevet" back in March.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Getting full-time status at work again, with all the benefits like health care and paid vacations.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">But this year has seen some lows, most notably, my break-up with April. To be honest, while the highs were good, this year has been a tough one. The dissolution of my four-and-a-half year relationship with April will loom heavily over 2013 in my memory. Not only that, 2013 was the end of a two-year slide, not always downhill, but never uphill either. A lot of sideways sliding, I guess. As I stated earlier in the summer, my personal (and professional) life had stagnated since my return from the Cross-Continent Trip in October 0f 2011. I fell into old traps. I wasn't being challenged, and I wasn't challenging myself. With the breakup in July, I was definitely being challenged, like it or not.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since the breakup, I moved twice, once from the apartment I shared with April and other roommates to a short-term situation with someone I knew, then into the more permanent house I find myself in. While it was good getting out of the old apartment with April, as I always felt it wasn't "mine", (it was April's old place before we moved into a place together in Montavilla in 2010), the temporary place got weird and once again it wasn't "mine". It's good to have something permanent, something mine. And I see that the new house in Woodlawn can become a good thing. But as middle age creeps ever closer, I don't know how long I can do the whole "living with roommates" thing. When I was younger I didn't envision living with roommates at 40, heck I didn't envision living with roommates at <em>30</em>. And our digs are spartan, at best. Shouldn't I have something more at this point in my life? Heck, I don't even have a "true" bed. I guess it beats living in a van down by the river. And it's not like I want extravagant digs either, just something more "adult" for want of a better term.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, the new place is helping me get over the breakup. After nearly a half-year, I can say that my heart is mostly healed. I realize that April and I aren't getting back together, and I'm moving on. Though if I could go back in time and try to fix things, I probably would. It's really weird: before April and I started to go out, I hadn't had any real serious relationships, and worried that I might not ever. I felt so unexperienced in love, especially compared to some of my friends. Now I've had a relationship longer than some of those same friends. Before April, I definitely felt a loneliness, a <em>longing</em> for companionship. And while I do agree that it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, now I am fiercely missing those things you can only get from a long-term relationship: the familiarity, the comfort, the domesticness of it all. And&nbsp;the knowledge that someone loves you, and that you love someone else? That's a big deal. It made me feel good inside. I'm not saying there won't be other relationships in my life (well, I <em>hope</em> there will be others), but all that stuff takes time and can't really be expected until a year or so into the relationship. I don't want to become one of those desperate people who hope that every time they date they'll find "The One." I want things to come about naturally, organically.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But every cloud has a silver lining. The breakup was a shakeup which made me re-examine my life. I knew that my life had been stagnating and I should do something about it, but I didn't have the cojones to do anything about it, as things were never really <em>bad,</em> just stale. The comfortable existence I had built for myself wasn't a bad one. But now everything's on the table and no option shall go ignored. I need to move my life forward in a more bold way. As I've mentioned, I'm barely two years from 40. And while I know that's not necessarily "old", it is a time to examine where one's life is heading. Is this where I wanted to be at 40? Obviously for most it's going to be "no", as life doesn't always end up the way we planned it. I can say a lot of the things I have accomplished over the last 10-15 years or so are things that I never expected to do when I was younger, and that's a good thing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is one glaring expectation that I haven't lived up to, something that I've wanted since I was about 6: become an Artist. "But wait, Shawn." you may say, "I thought you were<em> already</em> an artist? I've seen your drawerings." Well yeah, I guess I am an artist, but I want to become a capital-A <strong>"Artist"</strong>. Someone who takes what they do seriously, rather than haphazardly, rather than half-assedly. There are many things that have held me back from this goal: bailing on art school, lack of confidence in my own abilities, the want/need for a steady paycheck. But as the years go on and I see many of my peers doing okay for themselves in this department, I get jealous and resentful. But I have no one to blame but myself. So I need to actually try. 2014 will become the year I really try to be an Artist. Hopefully I succeed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And the breakup/shakeup has made me reconsider my whole relationship with Portland, too. While I still love this city and the Pacific Northwest in general, I never had any long-term plan for living here, especially not when I moved here almost 13 years ago. Back then I expected to be here for a few years then maybe move somewhere else like Chicago. Then a few years turned into indefinitely, as Portland has become comfortable. I've gotten to know this city quite well, and have made a lot of connections. It's a great place. But maybe the comfortability has become a bad thing, and I need some more shaking up? Is this the place I want to spend the rest of my life? I will admit that April and I had romantic notions of relocating to a place like Astoria, Oregon, but it was definitely more romantic than practical. And I had thought about relocating a few times on my own, or more specifically, not returning from long trips when it seemed like my Portland life was in turmoil. But this was back in both 2003 and 2005 when I was less established here. Now that I've spent a third of my life here, it's harder to just up-and-move. When I was 25 in 2001, the whole "move to new town without plan, find a whatever job, get a whatever place" was fresh and exciting. Getting closer to 40, not so much. I wouldn't want to move to a place without a real plan, or a real job. And where the heck would I move, now that I love this neck of the woods so much?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not saying that me leaving Portland will be a definite thing. But the last time I felt this way was when I left Connecticut in 2000, when everything felt dead to me. Portland felt dead to me for about a month after the breakup, but my love has slowly re-established itself. Still, I can't ignore that "urge" to get out, and if I don't leave, I need to figure out how to make Portland "work" for me for the next five to ten years. If I can't pull that off, maybe it is time to move on to new horizons. At the very least, I need to travel more. I haven't left town for more than a week-and-a-half since returning from the Big Tour, and I haven't left the region since then either. I need to get out of the Pacific Northwest soon, and I know I'll need a longer tour in the next few years. Nothing as epic as what we attempted in 2011, but something longer than a week for sure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I have a lot of work ahead of me. And I look forward to it. 2013 is a chapter of my life that I'm all to impatient to close, and the thrilling uncertainty of the blank page awaits.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/an-open-letter-my-2013-in-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-8657336143650346181Thu, 26 Dec 2013 16:00:00 +00002013-12-26T08:00:02.992-08:00new yearsseattleHeading to Seattle for the New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7870617614_c6a8fa349a_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7870617614_c6a8fa349a_c.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I spent my first five (2002-6) New Years living in Portland...in Portland. I never had a "great" one, though. Some were tolerable, some weren't. Maybe it's all the expectation on making the New Year holiday "epic"? So I decided to actually work towards this epicness, and started my annual tradition of going out-of-town for the holiday. The first two years (2007-8) I headed out to the Columbia River Gorge for a solitary holiday. In 2009 I took the train north to Vancouver, BC. In 2010, the first New Years with April, we took the bus out to the coast and stayed in a yurt at Nehalem Bay. Then the past three New Years (2011-13) we took part in the regular cabin camping trip to Stub Stewart State Park. All of these adventures had been fun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had thought about going out to Stub Stewart again for New Years 2014, as it's a pretty easy trip and people are going out there. But it's starting to get stale after doing it for three years, and it might be a bit weird since it would be without April. So I decided to do something different and booked Amtrak tickets to Seattle for the holiday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seattle, our "sister city".* I've been up there scads of times since moving to Portland, but it's been a long time since I've done a real trip up there. The last time I spent more than a day in change in the Emerald City was 2009! So it will be nice to go back and have some time to explore</div><div style="text-align: justify;">.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'll be taking the Amtrak Cascades up there on Monday night, December 30th, and then heading back down on Thursday January 2nd. Live in Seattle and want to get some coffee or something? Get in touch!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*Everyone in Portland would rather have Vancouver BC be our sister city, but alas.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/heading-to-seattle-for-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0Seattle, WA, USA47.6062095 -122.332070847.2636815 -122.9775178 47.9487375 -121.68662379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5486007882234135130Tue, 24 Dec 2013 22:00:00 +00002013-12-24T14:00:02.927-08:00bike campingoxbow parks24oGetting Ready for a Crazy Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/9145755052_638fa48615_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/9145755052_638fa48615_c.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What are you doing for your Christmas Eve into Christmas Day? I'm guessing it may involve being "indoors".* Not me, apparently. The call went out by Christopher Chen: a quick bike overnight to Oxbow Regional Park on the Sandy River, about 15 miles east of Portland. As I don't have any plans for the eve and don't have anything to do until Wednesday (Christmas) afternoon, I decided, what the hell? Why not camp?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This will be the first time I've ever camped in December. I've got my warm gear, and we'll have a raging fire, no doubt. More reports to come afterwards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And just a friendly reminder: the day after Christmas is the Country Bike Ramble! (Thursday, December 26, that is.) Details<a href="http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/country-bike-in-the-city-ramble-day-after-xmas-edition-thurs-26-2013/" target="_blank"> here.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, at least.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/getting-ready-for-crazy-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0Oxbow Regional Park, 3010, Gresham, OR 97080, USA45.5005542 -122.306408145.4782932 -122.3467486 45.522815200000004 -122.2660676tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5828943410566633237Fri, 20 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +00002013-12-20T12:00:02.146-08:00Surly Long Haul TruckerThe Long Haul Trucker: Why the hell did I sell?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6817267858_752cff92a8_b.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Hello friends, yes, this is the post that all eight of you have been waiting for, the reason(s) why I sold my Surly Long Haul Trucker.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First, let me get two things out of the way:</div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Whatever I say below, please note that I'm not saying that an LHT is a bad bike in the least, nor would I discourage anyone from purchasing one if they wanted to do. And I never regretted purchasing one!</li><li>Unfortunately, there's no "other" bike that is coming into the picture, not just yet. It was more a downsizing of the fleet than "making room" for something else. While I'd love a custom bike, that ain't in the cards right now.</li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok, so why did I sell it? Why did I get rid of a bike that served me well for 5 1/2 years, a bike that I did a lot to and a lot with?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In short: I didn't love the Long Haul Trucker anymore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's go back to the beginning of the story, which is February of 2008. The frame on my then-current touring bike, my Centurion Accordo, had broke. After I got past the initial shock and despair, I realized that I needed to get a new bike. But what? I knew that I loved touring, and the Accordo wasn't the most appropriate bike for the job (hence the break). It's hard to imagine now, but back then I wasn't such a bike geek and all the esoterica that I go ga-ga now would make my eyes glaze over. I just knew this: The Surly Long Haul Trucker was a touring bike, a lot of people liked them, and through my LBS I could even get a frameset for under $300. With that option I could swap over componentry from the Accordo. Sold! The only glitch in the whole setup was while I should've gotten a 54cm frame, that year that size was 26" wheels only, so if I wanted to use the 700C wheelset from the Accordo I would need to go for the 56cm. And being on a budget I did.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Long Haul Trucker was the best bike I had ever owned up until that point. It could carry the touring loads I needed, and do it comfortably. And I was happy riding it for several years. Up until the summer of 2011. That was the summer of the Big Tour, a four-plus month adventure across the continent. Oh sure, the LHT never let me down, but I got tired of all the crap I was carrying. Now a cross-continent, open-ended trip necessitated the carrying of more crap that I wanted, and it wasn't like the loads on the bike made mountain climbing that much of a chore than it already was. But a lot of stuff is just a lot of stuff, more things I had to worry about, more things to schlep from bike to hostel or from bike to bus, etc. I was dreaming of the next tour, one with much less crap, and maybe one with a different bike, one that would be more suited for lighter weight touring.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8241/8590635514_62df704d48_b.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But returning home, one thing kept me from the dream of a new bike: I was broke. So I did the next best thing: I invested some money into the LHT, adding some nice bling, and setting it up for the lighter weight touring that I wanted to do. And this served me happily throughout the spring and summer of 2012. It was my go-to bike for anything that wouldn't be as practical on a three-speed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then other derailleured bikes came into the picture. First, the Crested Butte in the fall of 2012, then not much later, the XO-3 in spring of 2013. Now I didn't have one go-to derailleured bike, I had choices. And I found myself choosing the LHT &nbsp;less and less. Yes, it was my go-to for anything revolving touring and camping and anything requiring long-distances since the other two bikes hadn't proven themselves (yet) in that department. But both the Crested Butte and the XO-3 were more fun to ride. And I couldn't be satisfied with riding the LHT, even when I was riding it! I'd do a camping overnight, like to Willamette Mission in October. The whole time I'd be thinking about a different bike than the one I was on, wondering "How would the XO-3 handle this? What about a custom build?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/9944364563_d615e562af_b.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then two things happened: I did the San Juans mini-tour with a very minimal setup. This meant I didn't need to carry a lot on a tour, so the XO-3 could be capable of the same load. And then I did an overnight to Ainsworth with the Crested Butte and realized, yes, this is a camping bike.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I had been thinking about selling the Long Haul Trucker for a bit, but maybe in the spring, when it would be a better time to do so. But my move into the new house necessitated more money than I currently had, so I ended up selling it a few weeks ago, and at a loss. Sometimes you have to do things like that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I think I made the right move. I held onto the LHT because I didn't know if the two other bikes were "ready for prime time", so to speak. But if I needed to replicate a beast of burden, the Crested Butte would be even better than the LHT in some regards, with its beefy tubing and long chainstays. And I knew the XO-3 could handle moderate loads, so when I figured out how to pare down the kit enough that I didn't need panniers and such, I figured I could make the XO-3 work for touring purposes. Hopefully this decision won't bite me in the ass!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It wasn't the easiest decision, to be sure. As I said above, it was my first "really nice" bike and I had loads of adventures on it. So there's lots of memories tied to it. But I can't get hung up over that. The Long Haul Trucker was a nice bike, but it's by no means rare. I could get another one if I really wanted to. But honestly, I came up against the LHT's limitations: great for hauling stuff, but not a sprightly bike by any means. This was fine when I wanted a pack mule. But my touring style has changed, and I want something different. And now the Long Haul Trucker has found a new loving home</div><div style="text-align: justify;">.<img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7352960168_ff7d12db64_b.jpg" height="385" width="400" /></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-long-haul-trucker-why-hell-did-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-2259540316742433368Tue, 17 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +00002013-12-17T12:00:01.830-08:00bicycle ridesbike ridescolumbia sloughpeninsulasmith and bybee lakesst johnsA cold bicycle cruise around the Peninsula<div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>Saturday December 7.</strong></em> We were in the middle of <em>"Arctic Blast 2013"</em> or whatever you wanted to call it. While it was sunny and cloudless, daytime highs were barely hitting freezing, which is a big deal in this temperate region. Cold weather or not, I wasn't going to be stopped from enjoying a nice long bike ride, especially since I had been itching for one for quite a bit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The destination for this adventure? The "Peninsula", also known as the outermost parts of North Portland, as the Willamette and Columbia Rivers create a sort of peninsula. I hadn't been out to Kelley Point Park, the furthest point of the peninsula (and the furthest NW point in Portland) since probably "working" our Portland Perimeter Populaire during Pedalpalooza in June. A visit to this area was long overdue, cold extremities or not.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I layered up appropriately as the weather forecast issued dire warnings about the cold and wind chill. Wool baselayers, wool long socks, synth vest, wool sweater/jacket, wool neckwarmer, wool cap, and my new Rivendell anorak/windbreaker. I soon found out the windbreaker was overkill, as the wind was very light at best by the time I got out of the house and all the other woolness kept me warm.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/11264228124_1296c12d91_b.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the house it was just a mile before I hit the beginning of the more-extensive-by-the-year (but not yet fully extensive) bike path network that line the lowlands between the Columbia Slough (a back channel of the river) and the main Columbia itself. This bike path was significant, however, because it just got paved very recently. It was a lovely mile on fresh pavement paralleling the Slough (besides the goose shit), then a rough connection to the path on the west side of Interstate Avenue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/11264217266_b7c7fe9af5_b.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here I had some great views of mountains. Though it doesn't come across well in the photo, I could see Mount Rainier just to the left of Mount Saint Helens. It's always a great day when you can see Rainier from Portland, and it's best on a winter/early spring day when ol' Tahoma is laden with snow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/11264274633_b1a7cd73b6_b.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2814/11264211106_63af96485c_b.jpg" height="400" width="239" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I took a moment to pause and reflect on my surroundings. Besides some birds (including a bird of prey flying overhead), the omnipresent drone of traffic in the distance, and planes flying overhead, things were pretty peaceful and quiet. I only saw a couple other cyclists on the path, and things didn't feel quite as cold as I thought they would be. A perfect little moment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/11264172845_97b12a935f_b.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2833/11264165515_e322dcdccf_b.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I pressed onward and westward. Soon I came to Smith and Bybee Lakes. The top of the lakes were freezing over, which is a pretty rare sight. I doubt that it was more than an inch in thickness, but it was still cool to see that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7447/11264160505_5e02b74c9d_b.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then westward along the Marine Drive bike path. Right where it ends and leads into Kelley Point Park there is a stub of a bike path that heads southeastward along the Columbia Slough. I know the hope is to extend it to something, but right now it connects to nothing. And right now it's closed off. Flaunting danger, I decide to ride as far in as I can. The path was mostly good with some bumpy sections, but right before the end I found the reason for the closure: a good 50 foot section had collapsed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/11264155565_e2ac55c7a7_b.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/11264182566_476bc1bf9b_b.jpg" height="239" width="400" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/11264138935_8c4e817e9d_b.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since the path went nowhere, there wasn't any need to fix it for now. Undaunted, I pushed through the wreckage and finally found the end of the line. Apparently I wasn't the only one to be down here recently, as there were very obvious tire tracks, probably from an ATV, in the fresh snow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/11264164416_bdebc61075_b.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I turned around and headed on towards Kelley Point. It was about 3 pm now, so I knew I didn't have much daylight left, and then things would get <em>really</em> cold. (This would become the coldest night in the Portland area in 40 years, seeing a low of 12F/-11C.) I could feel that cold as the shadows increased down in the park, but I paused quick enough to see the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From there I sprinted along N Lombard into the St Johns neighborhood where I enjoyed a well-deserved soup, sandwich, and beer at Proper Eats, then continued through the dark streets of North Portland back to my house in Woodlawn. A fun adventure altogether!</div><iframe src="http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2068914/embed" height="500px" width="100%" frameborder="0"></iframe>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-cold-bicycle-cruise-around-peninsula.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5286031908326691407Sat, 14 Dec 2013 21:00:00 +00002013-12-14T13:00:03.139-08:00bicycle ridescountry bike rambleCountry Bike (in the city) Ramble: Day After Xmas edition, Thurs 26 2013<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://urbanadventureleague.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/countrybikeramblegenericimagesmall.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="countrybikeramblegenericimagesmall" class="size-full wp-image-2288 alignleft" src="http://urbanadventureleague.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/countrybikeramblegenericimagesmall.jpg" height="240" width="182" /></a>Heya folks. The day after Christmas should be a good day for a ride, so I went ahead and scheduled a Country Bike Ramble! Here are the details:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>COUNTRY BIKE (IN THE CITY) RAMBLE: PENINSULA VERSION</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Thursday December 26th 10:30am&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>meet at Omaha Ave Greenway , N Omaha Ave at N Killingsworth St (We'll meet at the southernmost tip of this park strip on Omaha Ave.)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A ramble exploring the "country" aspects in the city while riding "Country" bikes. Expect a good deal of gravel/dirt action, meandering, and places you didn't think existed. We'll have an indoor food/beverage break along the way for warming up and refreshing. Ride a bike geared towards comfort, not speed, and one that can handle off-road elements. Moderate pace, no one left behind. Lycra and carbon, no, wool and shellac, yes. Estimated 30 miles with not a lot of climbing. Ride not a loop, but will end near transit and beer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For those of you interested in a good pre-ride breakfast, meet me at Beaterville, 2201 N Killingsworth St, which is one block east @ N Gay Ave. I'll be there at 9:30am. If you want something less sit-down like, Blend Cafe is four blocks west of the Omaha Greeway at 2710 N Killingsworth St. Just make sure you get to the park around 10:30am!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Feel free to give me a heads-up if you think you'll be coming. Hope to see some of you fine folk there!</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/country-bike-in-city-ramble-day-after.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0North Killingsworth Street &amp; North Omaha Avenue, Portland, OR 97217, USA45.562726 -122.6904233999999920.040691499999998 -163.99901739999999 71.0847605 -81.381829399999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-4005878887603610512Sat, 14 Dec 2013 19:00:00 +00002013-12-14T11:00:03.632-08:00tumblrwordpressBloggering Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/11370129913_3d4e0d70e4_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/11370129913_3d4e0d70e4_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hey folks, I'm moving towards the inevitable move of this blog from here on Blogger over to Wordpress. The new address will be <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">urbanadventureleague.wordpress.com</a> The blogger blog will still have new entries until the end of this year, then everything will be on wordpress in 2014. Exciting!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And because I've been in the mood to experiment with blogging-type platforms, I decided to create a (gasp!) Tumblr blog. Since tumblr is more suited to photos and such, my tumblr will be photo-specific. The theme is interesting bicycles that I've spotted in my travels around Portland. So if you are into that type of thing, go check it out:&nbsp;<a href="http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/">http://bikesspottedpdx.tumblr.com/</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yep, I need to write a bunch o' stuff. I know.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/bloggering-updates.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5030997654241479710Thu, 12 Dec 2013 19:00:00 +00002013-12-12T11:00:08.746-08:00Portland weathersnowsnow bikingWinter Biking (sort of) in Portland.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/11239801013_b4a025763d_c.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></strong></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></strong></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></strong></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">It’s Cold Snap 2013 in Portland!</strong></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Wait, maybe it’s<em> Arctic Blast 2013?</em> I’ll just have to wait for the media to tag this current below-average temperature event. And we typically get one or two decent cold snaps each winter here, but this one is unusual for its duration and the extremes in the cold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Portland is a pretty temperate place, and doesn't see freezing or below-freezing temperatures that often. We generally see zero to two light, gone-in-a-day snowfalls a winter. But there are exceptions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I've lived in Portland, there have been only two other significant "real winter" events in town: the cold snap/snow/ice event that lasted over a week during the first week of 2004. It was the coldest I'd seen Portland up until that point, and the cold meant that the six inches of snow followed by a good thick layer of ice lingered for way longer than anyone expected. It caught me unprepared as well, and it wasn't the most fun experience either, since the house I lived in had no central heat. And the pipes froze. With all that nonsense, I didn't even entertain thoughts about bicycling in it!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second, and much more memorable event happened during December 2008. Dubbed "Snowpocalypse" by pretty much everyone, it was two-and-a-half weeks of freezing temperatures, with two snowstorms thrown in, the second one an honest-to-goodness blizzard dumping about 18 inches of snow! I was much more prepared for this one. Besides living in a house with central heat, I had purchased a studded tire/cross tire combo for my bike which allowed me to bike for part of Snowpocalypse. So Snowpocalypse was a lot more fun for me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This cold snap isn't as epic as those two events. The only thing epic about it was how cold it got, but we'll get into that in a bit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We did see a bit of snow, though. Emphasis on "bit". When I went to bed on Thursday night (6 Dec), the forecast was very uncertain, but when I woke up on Friday, this is what I found:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/11239641444_22fee4b2b7_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">25F/-4C and some snow. Not a lot of snow, yep. Barely anything, yep. Enough to make Portland almost grind to a halt, yep. But not for me, I still have to get to work!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'll admit, I was a little anxious getting on the bike that morning. It had been years since I had biked in any snow, since we haven't really gotten a significant snowfall since maybe 2009. (There was that one back in January 2012, but it happened overnight and it was gone by the time I woke up.) And I lacked studded tires, too. Okay, I didn't actually <em>lack</em> studded tires, I own two. Neither of which were mounted on any of my bikes.* So I opted for the next-best-thing, the "semi-cross" tires mounted on my XO-3: Continental Speed Ride 700x42Cs. These have knobs on the edges and a smoother profile in the middle. Good for pavement riding, and also good for this light dusting of snow as I would find out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2862/11239637204_0a5961afee_c.jpg" height="400" width="239" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My ride went pretty fine. I just took it easy, didn't go too fast, made sure I didn't take corners too tightly, and used the rear brake more than the front. I made it to work in one piece, no falls or slides, and didn't even get there that late either! (Now getting home was much more treacherous, as the accumulated snow north of the Alameda Ridge had packed down and slicked over.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even though it wasn't a lot of snow, it was still sure pretty in spots.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/11239639484_1e99135633_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/11239713353_9d65d142e0_c.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I'm sure I had more fun than the folks down on the freeway.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/11239691615_0c29dca090_c.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I didn't see too many other cyclo-commuters, but managed to snap a pic of this hardy soul crossing I-84 at the NE 28th Ave bridge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/11239726506_55516fc052_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The snow teased again on Tuesday morning (10 Dec), but by the time I left the house around noon, it was gone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/11311121364_931fcfb7d3_c.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So besides the little snow, the biggest deal of this cold snap is the cold. We don't usually see high temps above freezing that often, and not usually for a week. And the lows have been really low. Sunday 8 December was supposedly the coldest it's been in Portland since 1972, with a low of 12F/-11C. When I left the house for work it was 15F/-9C. Pretty cold. Not Edmonton cold, but the coldest I had ever biked in up to this point. (Yes, even living in New England I never biked in this cold, basically because back then I would have just drove.) The sunrise was beautiful, though.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3748/11273428863_2c1b133605_c.jpg" height="239" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And despite it all, I've managed to keep warm on the bike. I pulled out the usual suspects: wool baselayers, thick wool socks, wool pants, more wool top layers, sturdy boots, really overdone gloves. The secret in the arsenal this time round was the bright orange windbreaker anorak I just purchased from Rivendell last week. It did a good job of keeping the wind from sapping my heat. And it's dorktastic to boot! (See photo below.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/11239793383_5d5b3d43c9_c.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I'm confronted with weeks like this, it makes me wonder how I would fare living in another place, one that had real winter again. As I said, I've dealt with cold in the past, but never as a cyclist. Could I move to a place like Minneapolis and bike around all winter long? I can't say for sure until I do (if I ever did) but I think this little taste gives me the confidence I could pull it off. As the anon biker says: <em>"It amazes me what we get used to... I've learned you can dress for any weather. I'll keep riding right on through it all. The bitter cold mornings are quite beautiful in their own way."</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*My 700C studded tire, used during Snowpocalypse 2008, still sits in April's basement. My 26" tire is in my basement.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/winter-biking-sort-of-in-portland.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-2287115032942928808Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-12-10T00:00:10.148-08:00housingwoodlawnNew Digs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/11231455693_a805cac78a_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/11231455693_a805cac78a_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s official: I have new digs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the first time in 3 ½ years, I’m living in the Northeast “Quadrant” of Portland again, specifically in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The house is a modest three-bedroom bungalow built in 1922 that I share with two other dudes, John and Collin. Collin isn’t there that much so it feels more like John and myself. And because we’re a bunch of dudes, the furnishings are pretty Spartan at the moment but hey, we’re working on it!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I currently occupy the “master bedroom” on the top floor. It’s one of the largest bedrooms I’ve had, maybe 200 square feet? It also gets scads of natural light since it has six windows. Of course, lots of windows means lots of places for heat to escape, as I’m figuring out during Cold Snap 2013. But I’ll take that for now, over the option of living in a basement room, which I have done twice in Portland. (It’s not a great option for winter here.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/11231385656_23196d20af_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/11231385656_23196d20af_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/11231358494_d269de218c_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/11231358494_d269de218c_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will admit that Woodlawn wasn’t my first choice for new digs (I would really love to live in Montavilla again), but the opportunity arose. It’s nothing against the neighborhood itself, as it’s a cool one with a cute and tiny business district with good beer, coffee, pizza, and a bike shop. (Throw in a taqueria, co-op, and library, and why would I need to leave?) It’s just a bit of a haul to work. This will be the longest commute to work in the many years I’ve worked at the hostel, too, clocking in just shy of six miles (10 km) one-way. It was hard to beat the seven-block commute of the last place, or even the 1 ½ mile ride from the last place April and I lived together. Sure, a short commute is easy, especially for someone like me who finds it hard to roll out of bed on certain days. But the one big positive of a longer commute is I will get to ride my bicycle more. And I can use the exercise.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But the best part of living here is that I’ll be in a place that I feel is “mine”. Yes, I do have roommates, but we all come into it as equal partners. I’ve lived in too many places where I came into an already existing situation. While some of those situations were good, some not so much. I’ve had only two places in Portland where I felt that it was mine: My first apartment from 2001-3, and the flat April and I shared in Montavilla in 2010-11, right before The Big Trip. Since then, I’ve lived in “temporary” living situations that became more permanent than I hoped. I don’t know how long I’ll be at this new house, but I know for now that <i>this is a place I can make.</i> This is a big deal for me. As 40 creeps ever closer, I know I don’t want to bounce from place to place every year. I want something more permanent, more stable, more mine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you find yourself in Woodlawn, ring your bell as you pass the house.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/new-digs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)3Woodlawn, Portland, OR, USA45.5697119 -122.6523839999999845.5474819 -122.69272449999998 45.5919419 -122.61204349999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-1536400366203671768Wed, 04 Dec 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-12-04T00:00:14.410-08:00bikes for saleSurly Long Haul TruckerGoodbye, Long Haul Trucker.<div style="text-align: justify;">The deed has been done. After five and a half years of ownership, the Surly Long Haul Trucker has passed into new hands. I feel great relief mixed with a small twinge of sadness. It wasn’t the easiest decision to sell this bike, and I’ll get into that soon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But it wasn’t the easiest process to <i>sell</i> this bike either. It spent two and a half weeks on the local Craigslist, with no interest in the first week, some interest the beginning of the second week, then some actual inquiries when I lowered the price right before Thanksgiving. I started the selling price at $900, a bit ambitious for the middle of winter, but I figured I’d knock it down a hundred or two in the whole bargaining process. (Aim high, shoot low.) But I didn’t get any real interest until I lowered the price to $500. Yeah, I was hoping for $700, or at least $600, but it's hard this time of year. Yeah, it would have been better to sell the bike in spring. But sometimes you don't have that choice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And selling bikes on Craigslist? Yeesh. I can't understand how anyone has "fun" flipping bikes. Maybe if you're unemployed, always home, and like wasting time? I knew that lowering the price drastically would get more responses, but I forgot how it would also get me <i>bad</i> responses. Like someone who was in Olympia that wanted me to meet him halfway, or, if he drove down, was wondering if I would lower the price <i>even more </i>to make it "worth it" to him. <i>Worth it?</i> We're talking about a bike that retails for about $1300 new, and that doesn't include fenders, rack, or lights. Fuck off, dude. Or the guy who wanted to offer to help me by selling it for me on eBay "for a commission." Yeah, fuck off as well, Mr. Self-Styled eBay powerseller.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've never had great luck with selling bikes on Craigslist. A couple I had to keep on whittling down the price week after week until they sold. One just wasn't selling so I consigned it to a local bike shop. The only easy sale was my Worksman Cycle Truck, which only needed one day and one response to sell for the price I asked. (It made me wonder if I should have started higher, oh well.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/11199958794_5471137d20_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/11199958794_5471137d20_c.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, it was with great relief that Megan purchased the Long Haul Trucker on Tuesday. Can you see how happy she looks? That's a good thing. She got a great bike at a great price. And I got someone who I can trust will take care of the Long Haul Trucker, and would continue having great adventures with it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Goodbye, old friend.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/goodbye-long-haul-trucker.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5056027305342975240Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-12-03T00:00:04.305-08:00coconut billcountry bike rambleMt. Taborpowell butteCoconut Bill comes to town<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/11113681406_ba72e2757a_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/11113681406_ba72e2757a_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut Bill avec beard. Photo by Andy Schmidt.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s been busy times ‘round the Urban Adventure League HQ. Busy with work, busy with move preparations, not that busy with bike stuff or drawing stuff unfortunately. But over the last week I made some time for bike fun, as Coconut Bill came to town.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Who the **** is Coconut Bill?” you may ask. (Especially if your name is Carl Larson.) Well, he’s this guy from SoCal that decided to come to town for the Thanksgiving holiday. Andy offered to host him for his stay in the Schmidt Family Compound on Mason Hill (which is located in that zone of north Clackamas County known as “Portland Creep”.) And we*planned a full roster of fun bike stuff over the course of Coconut Bill’s stay. You may still ask yourself, “Why the **** go through all this trouble for some dude?” (Especially if your name is Carl Larson.) Well my friends, let me tell you why: It’s always fun to see Portland again through the eyes of unspoiled innocence, where riding a bike in a city and not getting run over is in itself an amazing experience. And those eyes, my friend, are Coconut Bill’s eyes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, I was part of the welcoming committee when Coconut Bill (referred to “CB” for brevity’s sake for the rest of this post, if you are into that whole brevity thing) arrived to Union Station on Tuesday (November 26). Amtrak’s Coast Starlight deposited CB and his bike, a 48 cm Rivendell A Homer Hilsen, into the hands of the Rose City. After a quick reassembly of the Homer, Andy (and his children), Chris, and myself rolled over to Chris’s pad in The Pearl to drop of CB’s bike box. Andy and Chris had other obligations for a few hours so I chaperoned CB for a few hours, giving him his first tastes of Portland coffee, pizza, and beer (in that order). Then we met up with the gang again, this time augmented with Kelley and Norm, at Bob of Bantam Bicycle Works birthday shindig.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/11126742246_96f17d0b58_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/11126742246_96f17d0b58_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/11126647575_4c9ff1fc15_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2811/11126647575_4c9ff1fc15_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/11126666335_5f8e1fcdd1_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/11126666335_5f8e1fcdd1_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/11126710264_8d6536b5c3_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/11126710264_8d6536b5c3_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Due to work and other commitments, I didn’t see Coconut Bill again until Friday, but the gang kept him quite occupied with rides and adventures in the intervening days. On Friday I led a big ol’ Country Bike Ramble from SE Portland out east towards Gresham, hitting up Mount Tabor and Powell Butte along the way. It was a great day to hit up Powell Butte, as it had been dry for over a week meaning non-muddy trails. (Bikes are banned from the trails if they are muddy.) Not the greatest view from the top due to the general overcastness of the day, but the moody skies and naked trees made the old orchard atop the butte just that more spookier. After descending Powell Butte we broke for Lebanese food at Nicholas in downtown Gresham and then took the MAX to our respective homes.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And that was the last I saw of Coconut Bill for this trip. He had a few more adventures since Friday, then took the Coast Starlight southward on Sunday (December 1). I’m sure we’ll run into him again, as he’s in love with Portland.&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/11146255893_bc09daf322_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/11146255893_bc09daf322_c.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut Bill sans beard. Photo by Chris Chen.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I don’t think anyone even brought him to Voodoo Doughnuts!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*That would be the collective “we”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/12/coconut-bill-comes-to-town.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-4899627391049775675Tue, 26 Nov 2013 05:30:00 +00002013-11-25T21:30:01.038-08:00coffeecoffeeneuringcrested butteraleighHang up the phone, it's my final Coffeeneuring ride of the challenge! (Number 7, if you are counting.)<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/10989707974_dfd4499e5b_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/10989707974_dfd4499e5b_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div>It’s the end of Coffeeneuring <strike>as we know it</strike> for 2013!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After “phoning it in” on Ride 6 last week, I hoped to make the last ride something special. I was planning on making the Sunrise Coffee Club ride to Mount Tabor on Thursday morning (November 21st) my entry for Ride 7, especially since I was supposed to lead it. <i>“Supposed to”</i> is the key words there. The night before I didn’t feel well, head splitting with a headache most likely due to the stress of my life as of late. I didn’t feel like getting up early the next morning, so I bailed. (The ride still went on, and everyone had a lovely time.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok, if I can’t make the ride special, let me make the <i>bike</i> special. I had used three out of my four “daily” bikes for the previous six coffeeneuring adventures. The one I hadn’t pulled out yet was the Bridgestone XO-3, basically since I haven’t been riding it since “winter” has started. I wanted to install fenders but the Resist Nomad 700X45C tires were too big for that. So I picked up some smaller tires and spent the better part of a day attempting to install them. <i>“Attempting to”</i> is the key words there. I realized that the fenders are a bit too small to work, so I should get bigger ones. Normally I’d just run to the bike shop and get them, but as I’m very, very broke right now, I have to wait until the next paycheck. So scrap that.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still, it’s dry right now so I could ride fenderless. But first I wanted to install the Brooks Champion Flyer saddle with the Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag. I took out the seatpost and realized how short it was. I’d rather get a longer seatpost first, and that’s going to cost money and I’m broke…</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/10989571645_f82f41a160_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/10989571645_f82f41a160_c.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I took “old faithful”, the Raleigh Crested Butte, instead.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes, I ride the Crested Butte a hell of a lot, more than any other bike I own right now. But I actually hadn’t ridden a bike in two days,* so when I took it out on Thursday November 21st it felt fresh. Hey, I really like riding this bike, I thought to myself. And what a beautiful day for a ride: sunny, clear, crisp.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/10989557875_57d15262cb_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/10989557875_57d15262cb_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think one thing that aided my enjoyment was new grips. For the past year I had some PDW “Dapper Dan” leather grips on this bike. They looked stylish but they weren’t that ergonomic. And over the past few months, the leather had deteriorated quite a bit. So I took them off and put on a pair of shellacked cork grips, the old standby. Inexpensive ($10-15 for a set), and when they wear down, you shellac ‘em more. When they totally wear out, you get some new ones. Not only do the new grips look nice, but they are a lot more comfortable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways I took a meandering route through SE, passing over Crystal Springs Creek &nbsp;in the Reed College campus, then used my “rough stuff” routes through the Woodstock neighborhood. The coffee destination: Space Monkey Coffee on SE 72nd at Harold in the Arleta neighborhood, just across from Mount Scott Park.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/10989709123_54cfd30e25_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/10989709123_54cfd30e25_c.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t go to Space Monkey that often, as I don’t find myself in “this neck of the woods” often. Space Monkey is the type of “funky” unpretentious coffee shop that populated Portland when I first moved to town in 2001. This was before the Stumptownization of coffee in Portland (and to an extent, the world) took over the world. Yes, the coffee is better now, I will agree, but many modern coffee shops are pretty sterile. For instance Space Monkey has couches, which is verboten in the Stumptown manual. (I think they aren’t even allowed to sell you beans if they see a couch in your café.**) And Space Monkey has a community message board along with an ancient internet terminal, so 1999! Don’t think I’m ragging on Space Monkey, they are a good place (why would I go there if they weren’t?) and have good coffee roasted by Cellar Door.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I ordered my standard: drip coffee. &nbsp;And added soy milk and sugar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last coffeenuring ride: not as special as I had intended it to be, but still special.<br /><br /><i>Total route 5.8 miles. Html widget no worky, so <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2028902" target="_blank">go here to see the route map.</a></i><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*When you live seven blocks from work, you can walk if you want to.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">**And people were having honest-to-goodness conversations on those couches when I was in there!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/hang-up-phone-its-my-final.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0Mt. Scott - Arleta, Portland, OR, USA45.482647425939071 -122.5894311984253645.479863925939071 -122.59447369842536 45.48543092593907 -122.58438869842536tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-3408408705239636692Tue, 19 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-11-19T00:00:06.007-08:00sprocket podcastI'm on the Sprocket Podcast again!<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9356900716_4c1a320d2e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9356900716_4c1a320d2e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Hello dear readers! Just letting you know that I'm featured on this week's <a href="http://www.thepodcasthost.com/thesprocketpodcast/2013/11/18/e158-shawn-granton-does-the-pacific-nw/" target="_blank">Sprocket Podcast.</a>&nbsp;Just like <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2012/09/king-of-some-media-my-apperance-on.html" target="_blank">the last time I was on there in 2012, </a>I talk about bicycle touring experiences in the Pacific Northwest. So this time I talk about my three big trips in 2013: <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/search/label/Portland-Gorge-Spokane%20tour" target="_blank">Portland-Gorge-Spokane,</a> <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/search/label/central%20oregon%20cascades%20tour%202013" target="_blank">Central Oregon Cascades</a>, and the <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/search/label/san%20juan%20skagit%20tour%202013" target="_blank">San Juans. </a><br /><br />Thanks once again to Brock Dittus Aaron Flores for hosting me (and providing the beer.) <br /><br /><i><b>Warning to sensitive readers, you know who you are:</b> There will be some "adult" language on the Sprocket Podcast.</i><br /><br /><br /></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/im-on-sprocket-podcast-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-8622206284301669431Sun, 17 Nov 2013 20:00:00 +00002013-11-17T12:00:03.903-08:00bikes for saleSurly Long Haul TruckerFor Sale: My Surly Long Haul Trucker<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5488/10825673085_2741928eb2_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5488/10825673085_2741928eb2_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>Hello friends. Yes, I am selling my Long Haul Trucker. I'll get into details about that in a subsequent post this week. For now, here are the details: </i><br /><br />It's time to part with my beloved bicycle. After 5 1/2 years of service, I'm looking for a good home and a willing rider for my Surly Long Haul Trucker. I purchased the fork and frame in the spring of 2008. The frame size is 56 cm, the smallest size that would accept 700C tires for that year. The color is "utility blue". And the steer tube has never been cut!<br /><br />The Long Haul Trucker has quite the reputation as a touring bike, and after putting tens of thousands of miles on it over many a tour, I can certainly agree. And she makes a good commuter too, especially in its current configuration with fenders, a front rack, and dynamo lighting. Yes, dynamo lighting! You'll have lights available, all the time, without the worry about recharging or replacing batteries.<br /><br />This Long Haul Trucker currently sports:<br /><br /><ul><li>Sugino XD 500T triple crankset (46x36x24)&nbsp;</li><li>Wellgo "sneaker" pedals</li><li>13-34 seven-speed rear cassette</li><li>Shimano bar-end shifters</li><li>Shimano Alivio rear derailleur</li><li>Shimano Sora front derailleur</li><li>Velo Orange hammered fenders</li><li>Panaracer Pasela Tour Guard 700x35C (35-622) tires with ample life in them</li><li>Shimano linear-pull brakes</li><li>Tektro brake levers</li><li>Nitto "Grand Roundonneur" (sic) alloy drop handlebars (wrapped with shellacked cork tape)</li><li>Crane brass bell</li><li>Hand-built rear wheel with Shimano Deore hub and Sunrims Rhyno Lite rim</li><li>Pre-built dynohub front wheel: Alex XCE 500 double wall black rim with Shimano DH3D30 dynamo hub</li><li>Spanninga front LED headlight (not pictured in ad)</li><li>Spanninga rear LED taillight (this light is currently not working, needs re-wiring)</li><li>Jandd Extreme front rack&nbsp;</li></ul><br /><br />As said above, I've done a lot of touring on this bike so the frame shows obvious scratches and dings. Overall, the bike is structurally sound and the paint still decent.<br /><br />I'm hoping that the future owner of this beauty will go on many adventures with her. Will this be you?<br /><br />Bike available for viewing and test-riding around SE Hawthorne in Portland Oregon. I really would prefer local pickup but would consider shipping (buyer pays for all shipping and handling costs.) I estimate that it would be in the neighborhood of $150 for that.<br /><br />More info about the frameset<a href="http://surlybikes.com/uploads/downloads/Surly_2008_catalog_lo_res.pdf" target="_blank"> here.</a><br /><br />$895 or reasonable offer. <a href="mailto:urbanadventureleague@gmail.com" target="_blank">Email me</a> if you are interested.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/10825611795_4183f1f7d7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/10825611795_4183f1f7d7_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/10825638475_878d607c2a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/10825638475_878d607c2a_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/10825544305_3eb6dc4d0d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/10825544305_3eb6dc4d0d_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/10825674224_a7d8d87686_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/10825674224_a7d8d87686_b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/for-sale-my-surly-long-haul-trucker.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)Portland, OR, USA45.5234515 -122.676207145.1675755 -123.3216541 45.8793275 -122.0307601tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5539788244370759609Sun, 17 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-11-17T00:00:12.488-08:00coffeeneuringCoffeeneuring Ride #6: Phoning it in? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Rotaryphone1.jpg/800px-Rotaryphone1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Rotaryphone1.jpg/800px-Rotaryphone1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With any “challenge” longer than a few weeks, it seems inevitable that enthusiasm will dwindle after those first few weeks. I came out of the gate all fired up, accomplishing four “Coffee Outside” adventures in a row. But now I have less time and more stuff on my plate. It’s getting harder and harder to squeeze in a true Coffeeneuring Ride, at least under the parameters of the rules Mary set up. She was very gracious in granting me an “exception” so I could do a ride after work last week for Coffeeneuring Ride #5, as I had no other real opportunity to do so.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But this past week? It was tough. I had two non-consecutive days off, Wednesday November 13 and Friday November 15. Wednesday was occupied with a day-long Bike Tourism Conference, so Friday would be the day, though that day was filling up with errands and such. I could pull off something, but it would be the bare minimum. It almost would feel like I was phoning it in, which is something I don’t like doing.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Or could I just stop? Mary created an “Honorable Mention” category for those who started the Coffeeneuring Challenge but couldn’t finish for whatever reason. I thought about this for a moment, but hell, I’m already five weeks in on the seven week challenge. I can see the finish line in the distance. Just do one, Shawn, even if it is “phoning it in”.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/10877980844_f6b1280887_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/10877980844_f6b1280887_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So on Friday November 15 I rode my Raleigh Crested Butte from my house off SE Hawthorne three paltry miles to Speedboat Coffee on SE Foster Road. I got the house drip coffee, which was Stumptown’s Guatemala Finca el Injerto. It was good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/10878150163_df774d86f4_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/10878150163_df774d86f4_c.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tune in next week for my final coffeeneuring ride of this year’s challenge, where I hopefully won’t phone it in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/coffeeneuring-ride-6-phoning-it-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-6978722517160668754Tue, 12 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-11-12T00:00:00.986-08:00hostelmovingA Quick Life Update<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/10764864683_e7371cfedc_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/10764864683_e7371cfedc_c.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>Hello friends and fiends. It was a busy and eventful October here at Urban Adventure League HQ, with its shares of ups and downs. And November promises to be even busier, and hopefully with more highs and lows. What's happening round these parts? <br /><br /><b>I regained full-time status at "the hostel".</b> Those of you who read this blog long enough know that <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2011/05/some-hugging-no-crying-my-last-day-of.html" target="_blank">I had full-time status there before I left </a>on "The Big Trip" in 2011, but I've only been part time since the return. This is good news for many reasons: I get a guaranteed amount of hours, I get paid vacations, and most importantly, I get both health insurance and dental insurance. This is very good, as my teeth need a lot of work on them, to put it lightly, and if I have any other health issues, I won't have to pay out of pocket like I did when I had shingles last month.*<br /><br />In the short run, I'm working a lot more than I'm used to (part of this due to covering a bunch of shifts due to a co-worker's sudden resignation). This is good for the piggy bank, but because this month is so full of things I need/want to get done, it means less time for "the other things". Oh well.<br /><br />Speaking of work, we just went on a retreat out to the Oregon Coast over the weekend. This was my only trip to the actual Pacific Ocean this year, and it was a bit weird to do it not on a bike, but whatever. We visited the town of Newport and stayed in a yurt at South Beach State Park. The highlight was visiting the Yaquina Head lighthouse. More photos of the retreat are over <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/sets/72157637538041673/" target="_blank">here.</a><br /><br /><b>And I'm moving!</b> I've been living temporarily with someone since I left April's apartment in August, so it is nice to move into new and spacious digs. Of course, there's the usual packing and moving crap which I never find fun, and move-in expenses which are significantly more than I expected. But by the end of the month, I'll finally have a place to "call my own" after a few years of not having that luxury. (Well, I am moving in with roommates, but you know what I mean.)<br /><br />Not too much regarding bicycle adventures for the near future. The weather is turning and I don't feel the desire to camp. I do want to go on some good bike rides, but I haven't had the time. I will soon, though.<br /><br />Hope all is well with all you fine folk!<br /><br />*If you live in a country that is not the US, you just don't even know.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-quick-life-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-7481433401548154865Mon, 11 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-11-11T00:00:07.295-08:00bipartisancoffeecoffeeneuringmontavillaMt. Taborraleighthree speedwayfarerCoffeeneuring Report, Week 5: A Three Speed Tweedneuring Ride<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/10750878046_ef691749b2_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/10750878046_ef691749b2_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I have been dutifully completing one Coffeeneuring ride each week since this whole business started in October. And pursuant to Mary's rule, I've been completing each ride on my "weekend". Now I haven't done a ride on an actual weekend, but because I have a non-standard schedule (meaning <i>not</i> Monday through Friday), I can use any of my days off as a "weekend" day per the rules.<br /><br />But this past week was different. My "weekend" was supposed to be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I had planned on doing my ride either Thursday or Friday, as Wednesday was an errand day. Then early on Wednesday my boss called me and asked me to work both Thursday and Friday because of some work issues. While this is great from a paycheck perspective, it sucked for Coffeeneuring. And my Wednesday was already too busy to Coffeeneur.* So I asked Mary if she would make an exception in my case so I could complete my ride after work instead on Friday November 8. And she graciously agreed to it, but added the caveat: <i>Make it good.</i><br /><br />So how would I "make it good?" I decided to make it slightly more challenging and different by using a three speed. And I would do it while wearing tweed.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7312/10749907006_b42be4696a_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7312/10749907006_b42be4696a_c.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />Now to those of you who know me well enough (or live vicariously through this blog), you know me riding a three speed while wearing tweed is "standard operating procedure" at the Urban Adventure League. But if you look at many of the photos of the other randonneurs, you'll see a lot of jerseys and bright lime green vests and jackets. So yep, different.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10751707405_5a75ef3707_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10751707405_5a75ef3707_c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />I rode from my work over to the Bipartisan Cafe in Montavilla. There's this hill called Mount Tabor** between my work and Montavilla. Now most people would go around Tabor rather than over it, but not me, even on the Raleigh Wayfarer. Yes, I grunted for a bit as I took one of the steepest ways up, via SE Yamhill, which has grades up to 10%. And yes, there was a little rough stuff, which meant I got off and walked for a little bit. But I love Mount Tabor, and have ridden over it many a time on a three speed. And the view is great, too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/10750909394_f92ac0bfd7_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/10750909394_f92ac0bfd7_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I quickly descended the "mountain" and pulled up to the ample bike parking outside the Bipartisan.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/10751748275_323f318246_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/10751748275_323f318246_c.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />Inside I helped myself to the self-serve Stumptown coffee. Yeah, brewed coffee. Not as fancy as a latte or something (meaning no espresso porn for you, my dear reader), but that's what I like!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/10751872694_e05bdd5c0c_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/10751872694_e05bdd5c0c_c.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />3.5 miles total ride. More photos are over <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanadventureleaguepdx/sets/72157637468801704/" target="_blank">here.</a><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="500px" src="http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1998014/embed" width="100%"></iframe> *Well, I did do a ride that involved a coffee stop. A long one too, 22 miles out and back to the dentist, and in the pouring rain too. But it was hardly fun.<br />**It's an extinct volcano!</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/coffeeneuring-report-week-5-three-speed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)3Montavilla, Portland, OR, USA45.5195155 -122.5790559000000145.475013499999996 -122.65973690000001 45.5640175 -122.49837490000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-5349649979552670769Tue, 05 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-11-05T00:00:01.278-08:00coffeecoffeeneuringStub StewartCoffeeneuring Report, Week 4, 30 Oct 2013<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/10585353244_cbbdab9296_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/10585353244_cbbdab9296_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Hello folks! It's yet another installment to my <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/search/label/coffeeneuring" target="_blank">Coffeeneuring Challenge</a> series! And yep, this one is another "coffee shop without walls". (But don't you worry, now that the weather is crap, I'll be going inside to drink coffee!) <br /><br />This one happened during my Stub Stewart camping trip, Oct 29-30. You can read the whole story of the trip <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-last-bike-overnight-of-2013-stub.html" target="_blank">over here.</a> This time I decided to bring the <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/search/label/esbit" target="_blank">Esbit coffemaker</a> out again. Thankfully the wind was quite low so I didn't have to go through most of a pack of matches to get it lit.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/10585303896_9c307aff8f_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/10585303896_9c307aff8f_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The coffee this time? Nothing to write home about. I picked up one of those small bags of pre-ground Millstone coffee at the Banks Thriftway. Millstone, pretty much the low end of the totem pole for "quality" grocery store coffee. The brewed coffee itself was serviceable, but as I said, nothing to write home about.*<br /><br />Alright, that's that! Next time I hope to have something a little more "exciting".<br /><br /><b>DETAILS IN BRIEF:</b><br /><i><b>Miles ridden:</b> 22</i><br /><i><b>Bicycle used: </b>Surly Long Haul Trucker</i><br /><i><b>Coffee used:</b> Millstone</i><br /><i><b>Coffee prepared by:</b> Esbit coffee maker</i><br /><br />*But apparently <i>something</i> to write a blog entry about.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/coffeeneuring-report-week-4-30-oct-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)1L.L.&quot; Stub &quot; Stewart State Park, 30380 Oregon 47, Buxton, OR 97109, USA45.7388409 -123.1979092999999922.9838299 -164.5065033 68.4938519 -81.889315299999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-7856256958385230328Mon, 04 Nov 2013 08:00:00 +00002013-11-04T00:00:11.737-08:00banks-vernoniabike campingbike overnightStub StewartThe Last Bike Overnight of 2013? Stub Stewart, 29-30 Oct 2013<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/10585625133_7292f0d307_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/10585625133_7292f0d307_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Three separate overnight camping trips even in the middle of summer is a bit much. It's a lot easier to go out on a tour of even short length and "get into the swing of it", rather than string together separate overnights. The getting ready, getting out, coming back, and unpacking for only one night away? It gets exhausting. Coming into all this nice weather in October, I knew I wanted to get in as many bike overnights as possible. But I knew that two would be pushing it. I didn't have any grand plan of doing three in a month, each a week apart, it just happened that way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And happened it did.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bob of Bantam Bicycle Works, <a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-return-of-wayfarer.html" target="_blank">the man who fixed my Raleigh Wayfarer,</a> proposed a bike camping trip to <a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&amp;parkId=75" target="_blank">Stub Stewart State Park</a> on Tuesday October 29th.<a href="http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/search/label/Stub%20Stewart" target="_blank"> I've been to Stub Stewart for the past few New Years, </a>but that was in the cabins. It had been a long time since I had been actually camping in its nice hike-in campsite, so this would be a good excuse to check it out. And this time it would be a social camp out with people I knew rather than the (mostly) solitary affairs of the last two trips, which was really good. I don't think I could bear another lonely camping trip right now, especially since I've been feeling pretty lonely as it is. This also meant that I would be able to ride many of the roads I would ride on the Verboort Sausage Populaire on Sunday November 2nd, that is, if I could ride the Verboort Sausage Populaire, as work conflict swith this randonneuring event this year.* Three birds, one stone, eh?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/10561569995_f27bffa849_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/10561569995_f27bffa849_c.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately plans unraveled shortly before the trip. On Monday Bob let us know that he messed up his hand in a bike accident the night before and was unable to ride out. Still, there was supposed to be a few people meeting at his shop in the morn to ride the 40 miles out to Stub. I opted to ride out on my own later on in the day mostly because I'd rather ride out at my own pace. And I cut the distance short by taking the MAX light rail from downtown Portland to Hillsboro in the westside suburbs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ride out from the MAX station was pretty uneventful and done many a time before. Still, it was nice to get away from the metro area for a bit. And the "metro area" drops off dramatically just a mile or so outside of Hillsboro. Suburbia traded in for bucolic farmland roads with hills in the distance. Thanks, urban growth boundary!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/10578690425_2255ecb1a4_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/10578690425_2255ecb1a4_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The highlight of the whole "riding to Stub Stewart" experience is the Banks-Vernonia State Trail. A former logging railroad converted to bike path, the 22 miles between Banks and Vernonia are true cycling bliss. Of course I paused at the Buxton Trestle for a photo-op.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I rolled into the Brooke Creek Hike-In campground at 5:30, just a half-hour before dark. And...no one? I thought there would be a few bike campers here, as Bob said there would be, but nothing, nada. Actually that's not <i>entirely</i> true: at one of the 2 dozen campsites in the Brooke Creek loop I saw a Coleman tent covered by a big blue tarp. Probably not cyclotourists. And the creepiest part is I never saw anyone over there, neither evening or morning. <i>What's going on?</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I set up camp during the remaining minutes of daylight and make dinner while listening to NPR on the crank radio. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind earlier today, when I was considering not going. I wasn't in the mood for yet another lonely camping experience, and a spooky one too. (Every time I've camped here, there's always been some cracking branches and loud animal noises in the not-too-far distance, and this evening was no exception. Yes, probably nothing, but when it's pitch black and you're alone...)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thankfully Chris showed up around 7:30 pm. He promised he was coming, and was good on his word. We ended up hanging out for a few hours in the dark, drinking wine and talking. We retired around 10 pm, and man the night was cold. Thankfully my sleeping bag kept me appropriately warm, and it was pretty hard getting out of bed (or bag) in the am, as the outside ambient temp was just around freezing. (And Chris took off very early as he had to be to work by 10 am!) But get up I did, and I made breakfast and packed up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/10585353244_cbbdab9296_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/10585353244_cbbdab9296_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leaving camp it was just around 11 am. I had originally planned on riding back to Hillsboro "the long way" via Vernonia, Timber Road, and Forest Grove (or maybe just an out and back along the Banks-Vernonia) but practicality trumped ambition, and besides, I had to meet someone in Hillsboro in the afternoon. So I rode back mostly the way I had came, but then decided to ride all the way home instead of hopping on the MAX. After navigating through suburbia I crossed over the West Hills via NW Thompson Road and dropped down into the Northwest neighborhood and then made my way home.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3715/10585582243_357b6801ab_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3715/10585582243_357b6801ab_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, this trip was decent, though I wish it was the more social affair that was initially promised. Still, I bike camped for three weeks in a row, which ain't too shabby. And this is the latest in the season I've ever bike camped! Now I really have no desire to ride somewhere and set up a tent until longer days and warmer weather return in spring. I know that I could camp in the winter, but I'd rather ride somewhere and stay in a dry and lit cabin or yurt. And i know that will happen soon enough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*And since I'm a vegetarian, a ride to go eat sausage doesn't hold a heck of a lot of appeal for me.</div><iframe frameborder="0" height="500px" src="http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1969181/embed" width="100%"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" height="500px" src="http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1969221/embed" width="100%"></iframe>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-last-bike-overnight-of-2013-stub.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)3L.L.&quot; Stub &quot; Stewart State Park, 30380 Oregon 47, Buxton, OR 97109, USA45.7388409 -123.1979092999999922.9838299 -164.5065033 68.4938519 -81.889315299999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-3253512485688771354Sun, 03 Nov 2013 07:00:00 +00002013-11-03T00:00:02.199-07:00banks-vernoniacomicsjournal comix october 2013shinglesStub StewartJournal Comix, end of October 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/10602392545_d0794ed1f1_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/10602392545_d0794ed1f1_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7398/10602392425_802a409d49_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7398/10602392425_802a409d49_o.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/10602403034_41f34ef430_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/10602403034_41f34ef430_o.jpg" width="472" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/11/journal-comix-end-of-october-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-6371190235262787089Thu, 31 Oct 2013 07:00:00 +00002013-10-31T00:00:01.867-07:00ainsworth state parkbike overnightcolumbia sloughurban ramblesRamblin' Down By The Slough...<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/10466616503_3f52f7aa1e_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/10466616503_3f52f7aa1e_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On the way back from my Bike Overnight to Ainsworth last Wednesday (Oct 23), rather than take a more direct route from Troutdale towards home, I decided to head north towards the Columbia. The reason was simple (and sort of stupid): I wanted to make a quick stop at the IKEA by the airport, as IKEA is the best source of cheap battery-powered LED string lights. Y'see, I like using string lights on my basket bikes, and IKEA will always have some right before the "holidays". Also: IKEA has my favorite museli. (As I said: sorta stupid.) <br /><br />Anyways, on the way to the Marine Drive bike path along the Columbia, I crossed a branch of the Columbia's old backwater channel, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Slough" target="_blank">Columbia Slough.</a>* But before I crossed the bridge, I noticed a gated service road that paralleled this channel of the slough. I was going to ride another slough-side trail further west, but why not explore this one and see where it goes? So what if the sign says "No Trespassing?"<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/10465893366_862da9a887_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/10465893366_862da9a887_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/10466051213_7c11da4f10_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/10466051213_7c11da4f10_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Immediately I felt a change from busy four lane NE Airport Way, the road I was on, to a quieter, more bucolic setting. This is the old floodplain of the Columbia that floods no more due to the extensive (and <i>excessive</i>) diking down here. But the flavor of the area is decidedly riparian, and surprisingly bucolic, even as I pass pump stations and the loud hum of industry is omnipresent, just a few hundred metres away.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3823/10465844654_8dca2a1fce_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3823/10465844654_8dca2a1fce_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It wasn't too long until I came to a downed tree blocking the path. It's obvious a vehicle hasn't been down this way in some time. And that means the authorities haven't been down here in some time. I've often thought of a Bike Overnight trip in some wooded and secluded area of the city. Could this be a good candidate?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/10465823636_7d3ede7e8b_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/10465823636_7d3ede7e8b_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/10466439514_1ddc9fa0c4_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/10466439514_1ddc9fa0c4_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Then my initial elation deflates. While there hasn't been a <i>running</i> vehicle down here in some time, there is a vehicle. A rotting shell of a vehicle that has been down here for years, noted by the moss and ferns growing from the roof. It looks like a mid-80s GM "G-Body" platform car, like a Olds Cutlass Supreme, or a Buick Regal, which was the second car I ever owned.** The presence of empty bottles inside the car and bullet holes on the side panel says people come down here, and regularly.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/10465986653_5f88764029_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/10465986653_5f88764029_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I rolled onward for maybe a couple hundred feet more. Then I saw in the distance a big blue tarp hanging from trees. An encampment. It didn't surprise me to find this down here. I mean, if I was trying to live "off the grid" in the city and not get harassed by people, far-flung forested tracts like this are the best place. I didn't want to disturb or confront anyone, so I decided to turn back and deal with Airport Way. Maybe another day I'll come back to see what's beyond the bend, but today wasn't the day.<br /><br />And yep, I still got myself some string lights from IKEA.<br /><br /><br />*Man, I didn't realize how long the Wikipedia page on the Columbia Slough has become!<br />**It's hard to think I owned <i>five</i> different cars in my life. All of that over a span of seven years, too.</div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/10/ramblin-down-by-slough.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)1Northeast Airport Way &amp; Northeast River Side Parkway, Portland, OR 97230, USA45.5532498 -122.480987422.798276800000004 -163.7895814 68.30822280000001 -81.1723934tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-2084640330292911906Wed, 30 Oct 2013 07:00:00 +00002013-10-30T00:00:13.775-07:00bmxcomicsnew old stockretro-grouchAdult on BMX Comic, 1 Oct 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/10177418963_ebca5b9fe5_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/10177418963_ebca5b9fe5_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/10/adult-on-bmx-comic-1-oct-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13762558.post-4745245513044073415Tue, 29 Oct 2013 07:00:00 +00002013-10-29T00:00:02.082-07:00ainsworth state parkbike campingbike overnightColumbia Gorgegoatshistoric columbia river highwayjournal comix october 2013modern manshinglessunrise coffee clubJournal Comix, Week Four of October 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/10546749785_18c6e2f96f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/10546749785_18c6e2f96f_o.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/10546979193_9a6b2be1d7_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/10546979193_9a6b2be1d7_o.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/10546789124_efda981652_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5480/10546789124_efda981652_o.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/10546978803_48b1796152_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/10546978803_48b1796152_o.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/10546978653_68e8eaa24f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/10546978653_68e8eaa24f_o.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>http://urbanadventureleague.blogspot.com/2013/10/journal-comix-week-four-of-october-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adventure!)1